Top 10 Center Fielders in Major League Baseball in 2025

In today’s game, where hitting strategies encourage high exit velocity and launching the ball, strong defensive center fielders are crucial. These athletes must position themselves to call off teammates and pursue every ball in play.

All of these players can go get it in the outfield, but what separates those who made the list from those who didn’t was offensive production. If a player finished the season as an above-average hitter and was a capable defensive center fielder, they are likely to appear on this list.

In this ranking, you’ll find perhaps some of the most variability between pre-season and post-season rankings of any position. Players changed positions, got hurt, or their offensive game simply wasn’t enough to keep them afloat amongst the league’s upper echelon of center fielders.

Our team of editors each voted on their own personal top 10, and their rankings were averaged to determine this list. You will also find next to each player’s name where they were ranked prior to the season, or if they were even ranked at all.

Who Fell Off the Top 10 From Our Pre-Season Rankings?

If you look back at our pre-season ranking of the top 10 center fielders in baseball, you’ll see that only four of those players made our end-of-season list.

Here are the players we thought would rank among the top 10 center fielders in the sport in 2025 who failed to meet expectations (or switched positions):

• No. 1: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks*
• No. 4: Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves
• No. 5: Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies
• No. 8: Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
• No. 9: Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers
• No. 10: Evan Carter, Texas Rangers

*Player is listed at a different position in Just Baseball’s current rankings

Corbin Carroll had an outstanding season (6.5 fWAR) but made just four starts in center field. He is among the game’s very best players, so you’ll find his name ranked highly on our list of corner outfielders.

Michael Harris II is a difficult player to evaluate. The season-long numbers are mediocre (.249/.268/.409, 1.4 fWAR), but he’s shown flashes of being a top-10 center fielder.

In July and August, Harris hit 11 of his 20 home runs with a .307 average and an .870 OPS in 218 plate appearances. However, in the 423 plate appearances that spanned all other months, Harris had just a .234 on-base percentage. In the aggregate, Harris’ 83 wRC+ wasn’t good enough to justify a top-10 ranking, despite strong defensive metrics.

Brenton Doyle is one of the best defensive center fielders in the league and was coming off of a 23-home run, 30-steal season in 2024. This season, however, he just wasn’t hitting the ball as hard. His xwOBA dropped from .329 to .307, and he was a well-below-average offensive player in 2025.

Luis Robert Jr. had another disappointing season, hitting just 14 home runs for the second straight year following a 38-homer season in 2023. Robert has great bat speed, is a strong defender, and is among the league’s fastest players. Perhaps a change of scenery would reinvigorate Robert’s bat, because the tools of a top-10 center fielder are there.

Tommy Edman was one of the Dodgers’ key contributors in their World Series pursuit in 2024, so it was assumed that he would be at his best on the superteam in L.A. Unfortunately, Edman dealt with injuries to his right ankle, which forced him to the injured list multiple times this season. In his 377 plate appearances in 2025, Edman slashed .225/.274/.382 with 13 home runs.

Evan Carter was a big part of the Rangers’ World Series run in 2023. He hasn’t rekindled that offensive production over the course of a full regular season yet, largely due to injuries.

This season, Carter missed time with a quad strain in the first half, and he fractured his wrist in August. He was only able to appear in 63 games in 2025, hitting five home runs with 14 stolen bases. On the bright side, Carter’s 107 wRC+ showed he was making an impact offensively when healthy.

Honorable Mention: Jakob Marsee, Miami Marlins

2025 Stats: 55 G, .292/.363/.478, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 14 SB, 133 wRC+, 2.1 fWAR

Marsee, one of the main pieces that the Marlins received for trading Luis Arráez, caught lightning in a bottle in the final months of the 2025 season. Marsee’s marquee moment as a big leaguer came on August 13, when he went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI against Cleveland.

A former sixth-round pick, Marsee didn’t have top prospect helium but produced in the upper levels of the minors. His .283 expected batting average and 19.5% whiff percentage in the big leagues are both strong marks that demonstrate his ability to command the strike zone. He also graded as an above-average defender and has decent speed.

The main question is: Can he sustain this level of production? It’s reasonable to have doubts, as his .357 BABIP will be difficult to replicate. His bat speed (70.5 mph) and exit velocity marks are just below league average. It’s possible that Marsee can turn into a solid big leaguer, but it would be surprising if he continued to be this impactful over the course of a full season in 2026.

**NOTE: The following positional rankings are created by ordering the average score from each of our four voters.**

The Top 10 Center Fielders in MLB in 2025

10. Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays (Preseason: Honorable Mention)

2025 Stats: 71 G, .238/.284/.548, 20 HR, 55 RBI, 2 SB, 123 wRC+, 2.2 fWAR

Even though Varsho only tallied 271 plate appearances this past season, his torrid home run-hitting pace forced all of our voters to make room for him in their 10th slot.

Recovery from an offseason shoulder surgery caused Varsho to miss nearly all of April, and a hamstring injury in early June caused him to miss another two months of the season. Despite missing so much time, Varsho still accumulated eight outs above average, showing that he’s among the best defenders in the game.

What he did incredibly well was utilize his outstanding bat speed (75.6 mph) to get around the ball and lift it to the pull side. Varsho’s 29.5% air-pull percentage ranked 14th out of all batters with at least 200 plate appearances this season. He also lifted the ball in the air to any direction 70.5% of the time, which ranked seventh-highest among that same sample. Since he was so adept at pulling fly balls, they would frequently clear the fence for home runs.

While it may be an overreaction to expect another 45-home run pace season from Varsho next year, he figures to be a legit power threat. He’s had an outstanding postseason for Toronto and should be the team’s Opening Day center fielder in 2026.

9. Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers (Preseason: No. 8 Corner OF)

2025 Stats: 131 G, .270/.308/.473, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 21 SB, 111 wRC+, 2.9 fWAR

It sounds unforgiving to say that a near three-win season from a 21-year-old was below expectations, but that just speaks to how highly touted Chourio is.

Chourio’s 73.9-mph bat speed ranked among the top 25% in the game, but that didn’t lead to enticing batted-ball metrics. His average exit velocity (89.3 mph) and hard-hit rate (42.3%) were both below league averages. This could be in part due to an overly aggressive approach.

With a 36.9% chase rate and a 5% walk rate, Chourio could stand to be more selective in future seasons. Both of those marks are well worse than league average. As he gains experience, hopefully he will improve with pitch recognition and be a more disciplined hitter.

Chourio is still among the game’s fastest players (29.2 ft/sec sprint speed) and played well defensively in center field. Hopefully, in 2026, Chourio will allow pitchers to come to him more often so that he can do more damage in the batter’s box.

8. Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres (Preseason: 2)

2025 Stats: 115 G, .264/.317/.457, 16 HR, 67 RBI, 1 SB, 116 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR

Speaking of second-year players who were expected to ascend to superstardom and didn’t quite make it there, Merrill had a respectable but not incredible age-22 season.

Merrill required brief stints on the injured list this season for three different ailments (hamstring strain, concussion, ankle sprain) and, as a result, wasn’t able to rekindle the production he had in his rookie season. The category with the largest drop-off as a result of these injuries was stolen bases, as Merrill swiped only one bag despite showing above-average sprint speed (28.5 ft/sec).

Offensively, Merrill had a good season. He may not be strong in the bat speed department (72 mph), but he is excellent at hitting the ball on the barrel (13% barrel rate). He hit the ball at an optimal launch angle 42.6% of the time, which placed him in the top 1% of all batters.

While he may not currently project for elite power, Merrill is a talented player with a good feel for hitting. He should continue to be a part of top 10 center fielder lists for years to come.

7. Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 156 G, .249/.295/.414, 16 HR, 63 RBI, 20 SB, 91 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR

Grading as the fourth-best defender at any position by outs above average and third-best by fielding run value, defensive ability is what placed Rafaela on this list. Our experts agreed unanimously that his impact with the glove made him worthy of earning a spot on this list.

Rafaela wasn’t a good hitter by just about any metric in his offensive profile. He was close to league average in barrel rate (9.2%) and strikeout rate (19.9%) but below average in many other categories.

This past season was just Rafaela’s second year spent entirely in the big leagues, so there is room for offensive growth. He notably improved from his 81 wRC+ in 2024. To be a top-five center fielder next season, he will need to produce offensively at a league-average or better rate.

6. Trent Grisham, New York Yankees (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 143 G, .235/.348/.464, 34 HR, 74 RBI, 3 SB, 129 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR

How’s that for a contract year? Grisham set career-highs in fWAR, wRC+, wOBA, xwOBA, slugging percentage, home runs, RBI, and walk rate all in 2025.

Grisham doesn’t swing the bat very hard (71-mph bat speed), but he was fantastic at barreling the ball (14.2%). His expected slugging percentage was .509, 45 points higher than his actual mark for slugging. Somehow, his results suggest he may have actually been a bit unlucky this season!

By forcing pitchers to attack him in the strike zone, Grisham had a fantastic approach this year. He chased out of the zone just 17.3% of the time, which placed him amongst the top 1% of the league in that regard. His 14.1% walk rate was in the top 4% of qualified hitters, as well.

Grisham was weak defensively (-2 OAA), but based on the voting of our expert panel, exciting offensive results were deemed more valuable than strong defensive ability. That’s why you see Grisham ahead of Rafaela.

5. Harrison Bader, Philadelphia Phillies (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 146 G, .277/.347/.449, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 11 SB, 122 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR

Bader was a better offensive producer than Rafaela and a better defender than Grisham, which is likely what earned him a higher spot on these rankings. Even though he was more well-rounded, his defense was not as valuable as Rafaela and his production with the bat was not as strong as Grisham’s.

This season, Bader set career-highs in batting average, OBP, home runs, and wRC+. He swung the bat harder than average (73.5 mph), but his 87.2 mph average exit velocity was towards the bottom of the league. Bader’s 27.1% strikeout rate was his worst across a full season in five years, indicating a potential change of approach. He was swinging the bat harder, hoping for more power – and that led to an uptick in strikeouts.

Defensively, Bader posted 7 OAA and touched 28.8 ft/sec running, so he capably provided the necessary athletic ability to handle center field. Bader has had a solid major league career, but I’m not sure if he has the upside to reach the top five on a preseason top 10 center fielders ranking for 2026.

4. Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 156 G, .272/.313/.461, 27 HR, 86 RBI, 14 SB, 113 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR

Pages was a pull-happy hitter in 2025. Of his 27 home runs, none of them were hit to right field or right-center. The approach certainly worked out for him, as he had a breakout year and succeeded as the everyday center fielder on baseball’s most talented team.

As is common for a young player in his sophomore season, Pages was perhaps too aggressive at the plate. His 33% chase rate was in the bottom fifth of qualified hitters, while his 4.6% walk rate placed him in the bottom six percent of big leaguers by that metric. By swinging at too many pitches, Pages’ 88.6 mph average exit velocity and 37.2% hard-hit rate were still well below average.

Fortunately, Pages was still able to make the most of the pitches that he did get in the zone because he was an impactful offensive player. He proved to be capable of flashing the leather in center field as well; his 11 OAA ranked sixth among those at his position. As long as he keeps hitting in this star-studded Dodgers lineup, Pages should see pitches to hit and be a solid player.

3. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs (Preseason: 7)

2025 Stats: 157 G, .247/.287/.481, 31 HR, 91 RBI, 35 SB, 109 wRC+, 5.4 fWAR

In this piece, we’ve talked about a lot of second-year players who hit the ball hard, play good defense, and have good speed, but whose pitfall is that they’re too aggressive at the plate. Crow-Armstrong is among the extremes of all of those characteristics.

At the All-Star break, it seemed like “PCA” was going to be number one on this ranking. He was hitting .265 with an .847 OPS, 25 home runs, and 27 steals. In the second half, however, we saw an entirely different hitter production-wise. From July 18 through the remainder of the season, Crow-Armstrong hit .216 with a .634 OPS, six home runs, and eight stolen bases.

The regression seemed inevitable for Crow-Armstrong, who had been walking just 4% of the time and chasing out of the zone on a whopping 41.7% of balls thrown to him. If he can manage his temptations on pitches out of the zone a bit better in 2026, he’s likely to be a more consistent producer.

As far as playing good defense, Crow-Armstrong played the best defense of any major leaguer at any position, according to outs above average (24 OAA). As far as his wheels are concerned, his 29.5-ft/sec sprint speed ranked among the top 4% in the game.

Crow-Armstrong has the tools to be an eventual number one on this list, but some improvements to his approach will be needed to reach that peak.

2. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (Preseason: 6)

2025 Stats: 126 G, .264/.327/.551, 35 HR, 83 RBI, 24 SB, 136 wRC+, 5.0 fWAR

He did it. For just the second time in his career and the first time since 2017, Buxton played more than 102 games. Always great on a per-game basis, he set career-highs in fWAR, home runs, and RBI in 2025 with the improved durability.

Buxton has always been great at punishing baseballs, and this year was no different. He finished among the top 10% of the majors in xSLG (.534), average exit velocity (92.5 mph), barrel rate (17.6%), and hard-hit rate (53.8%). In what was an ugly season for the Twins, getting to see their star player stay on the field and perform like this was a treat.

Defensively, Buxton posted a solid 3 OAA in 118 games in center field. He also finished the season with the fourth-fastest sprint speed in the game, topping out at 30.2 ft/sec. Hopefully this season wasn’t a fluke, and Buxton can stay on the field for the majority of the season again in 2026.

1. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners (Preseason: 3)

2025 Stats: 160 G, .267/.324/.474, 32 HR, 95 RBI, 30 SB, 126 wRC+, 5.7 fWAR

He had his doubters entering the season after a disappointing 2024, but Rodríguez bounced back nicely. Hitting in a ballpark that plays more friendly to pitchers, “J-Rod” posted his second career 30/30 season at just age 24 to help lead the Mariners to their first division title since 2001.

Rodríguez is such a dynamic player. In the box, he swings the bat very hard (76.4 mph) but strikes out at just a league-average rate (21.4%). He recorded career-bests in xSLG (.495) and xwOBA (.357), which demonstrates his ability to drive the ball for extra-base hits. Rodríguez still chased a lot (37.3%) but managed to be productive in spite of that.

With the glove, Rodríguez was stellar as well. His 11 OAA put him in the top 10% of all major league defenders, and his 29.6 ft/sec sprint speed is up there with the league’s best as well.

It’s been a banner start to Rodríguez’s career, who in four seasons has hit 112 home runs, stolen 116 bases, and accumulated 21.2 fWAR. Through the first four seasons of legendary Mariner Ken Griffey Jr.’s career, he had hit 97 home runs, stolen 60 bases, and posted a 19.7 fWAR. With a good bill of health down the road, it’s easy to imagine Rodríguez becoming a Hall of Famer someday.